Mountain significantly smaller than Everest has never been climbed by a human
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Zhang Weiguo/VCG via Getty Images / China Photos/Getty Images
It's safe to say Mount Everest is pretty big, 8,849 metres high to be exact.
Despite that, many thousands make the huge trek in the Himalaya mountain range located between Nepal and Tibet every single year.
However, there is one mountain smaller than Everest that no human has ever climbed before.
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But where is it?
Well, Mount Kailash resides in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and with an altitude of 6,714 metres (22028 feet), it’s approximately 2,000 metres smaller than Everest.
The untouched mountain is known as ‘kailasa’ in Sanskrit, which roughly translates to mean 'crystal'.
However, the Tibetan translation indicates a completely different meaning.
It means ‘precious jewel of snows’ - thanks to its snowy peaks.
And with such a smaller journey to the top, you might be wondering why nobody has attempted the climb.
The answer is quite simple, it holds a lot of religious significance in a lot of faiths.
For example, Hindus, believe that the mountain is the home of the god Shiva, while Buddhists believe that it is the navel of the universe.
In Hinduism, it is said that Shiva sits in lotus position, engaged in deep meditation within the confines of this mountain.
While in Buddhism, it is home to Demchok, who represents pure bliss.
So it’s no surprise that the Chinese government went on the ban any public climbing activity on it.
However, there has been a consistent influx of pilgrims hailing from India, Tibet, Nepal, and various other nations who embark on a journey to venerate the mountain.
But nonetheless, it’s not open to the public and pilgrimages are only undertaken on a path around the mountain.
Asides from its religious significance, it is also physically impossible to travel up the mountain because of its 'pyramid-like shape' and snowy landscape.
The mountain also has powerful gusts of wind which, along with it's tough weather conditions, can make stability hard to maintain.
But there have been times where people have attempted to climb it.
Hugh Ruttledge, a British mountaineer, began studying the north face of the mountain but was told that it was 'utterly unclimbable' by The British Mountaineering Association.
However, he believed he had figured out a route to the summit, but didn't make it in time before Tibetan winter struck.
The only person who was actually offered an expedition was mountaineer Reinhold Messner who was given permission by the government.
But he declined because of the mountain's holy significance, reportedly saying in a letter: "If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls. I would suggest they go and climb something a little harder.
"Kailash is not so high and not so hard.”